Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Gregory Russ Goddard

Yu-Wen Chang

Evan Dak Wah Dengler

Kevin Arnold Miller

Wolter F Benning

Evert Alle Helfrich

Steven Charles Deane

Martin John Edwards

Vincent Jeanne

Eric Grant Halsne

Toon Hardeman

Lisa Bethany Schmalhurst

Anandh Balakrishnan

Kip Shirey

John Theodore Ferrier

Heidi Rose

An actuator () for a personal care appliance () having an eccentric core () to preload the actuator () to prevent rattling caused by detrimental reactionary forces. The eccentric core () includes a pole assembly () radially extending from a spindlehaving at least a first set (-) and a second set (-) of pole members. The first set (-) has a greater length as measured from the center of the spindlethan the second set (-), reducing the magnet gap on one side of the spindle () to create an eccentric core and preload the actuator (). Alternatively, the preload can be mechanically created by a set of bearings () disposed within housing () of the actuator, where the bearings () have a centerline (A) offset from the principal axis (A) of the housing ().

Personal care device actuator with rattle mitigation

A system and method of determining and notifying a user when to replace a worn dental cleaning head (104), comprises receiving, from a sensor (106), at least one measured value; calculating, using the measured value, a burn metric of the dental cleaning head; modeling, using the burn metric, an estimated lifetime of the dental cleaning head; determining, from the lifetime model, whether the dental cleaning head is in need of replacement; and notifying the user upon determining that the dental cleaning head is in need of replacement.

System and method for determining and notifying a user when to replace a dental cleaning head

An oral care appliance comprises: a fluid delivery system for producing discrete fluid bursts by means of a pump (), a regulator () regulating liquid in a pressurized liquid tank () delivered via a valve () through a fluid delivery path () in an outlet member (), directed to a nozzle assembly () from which the resulting fluid bursts are directed to the teeth.

Oral care appliance using pulsed fluid flow

The oral care appliance comprises: a fluid pump (); a source of liquid (); and a source of gas (); wherein the pump is in operative communication with the sources of liquid and gas to produce a series of gas-injected fluid pulses and/or a jet fluid flow using liquid slugs in a selected sequence directed to a nozzle and from there to the teeth, and a control assembly for selecting pulse flow or slug flow with specific set times and sequence directed to a nozzle assembly () and from there to the teeth; wherein the pulses have a pulse width within the range of 0.001-0.5 seconds, a pulse height from 0.1-10 Newtons, a rise/fall time range of 0.5-250 ms, a repetition rate in the range of 2 Hz to 20 Hz, and wherein the gas/liquid mixture range from 40-95% volume to volume gas to liquid, or wherein the fluid slugs in the jet flow have a volume in the range of 0.05-0.5 ml per orifice, a diameter in the range of 0.1-2 mm and a repetition rate within the range of 2 Hz to 20 Hz.

Oral care appliance using a variable fluid flow

A brushhead assembly () for a power toothbrush (), which includes a bristle plate () and a set of bristles () mounted to the bristle plate (). The set of bristles () is characterized such that some or all of the bristles have a dipole whip motion during operation at a selected drive frequency, including arrangements where the bristles in a first portion () have a different motion than the bristles at a at least a second portion () of the brushhead assembly ().

Resonance tuning of the bristle structure for a power toothbrush

The appliance includes a jet source of fluid, and a nozzle assembly through which the fluid is directed and then out for application to the teeth. A flow interrupter assembly is mounted within the nozzle assembly, such that the interrupter assembly is responsive to the fluid flow to produce momentary successive interruptions of the fluid flow by the action of the interrupter assembly moving from an original position to a flow interrupting position and then returning to its original position as the flow decreases and then is interrupted, due to the fluid flow itself, resulting in a cyclical perturbation in the fluid flow from the nozzle, by flow action alone.

System for introducing pulsation into a fluid output for an oral care appliance

A brush head having a distal end, including: an elastomeric matrix including a first surface, and a plurality of retention rings disposed in the elastomeric matrix, each of which includes a first end, a second end positioned closer to the first surface of the elastomeric matrix than the first end, an interior wall with a central longitudinal axis, and an exterior wall. The interior wall of at least a first retention ring is generally circular in shape; the interior wall of at least a second retention ring is generally non-circular in shape; the exterior wall is generally non-circular in shape; and at least one of the interior wall or the exterior wall includes a taper. The brush head can also include a plurality of bristle tufts, each of which is inserted into one of the plurality of retaining rings.

Brush head arrangements

A brush head (), including: an elastomeric matrix () including a first surface (); a plurality of retention rings () disposed in the elastomeric matrix, each of which includes a first end (), a second end () positioned closer to the first surface of the elastomeric matrix than the first end, an interior wall () forming an interior space () with a central longitudinal axis (), and an exterior wall (). At least one of the interior wall and the exterior wall of at least a first retention ring of the plurality of retention rings () includes a taper (). A plurality of bristle tufts (), each of which comprises a plurality of bristle strands, having a proximal end () and a free end (), is retained at its proximal end within the interior space of one of the plurality of retention rings.

An actuator () for a personal care appliance () having an eccentric core () to preload the actuator () to prevent rattling caused by detrimental reactionary forces. The eccentric core () includes a pole assembly () radially extending from a spindle () having at least a first set (-) and a second set (-) of pole members. The first set (-) has a greater length as measured from the center of the spindle () than the second set (-), reducing the magnet gap on one side of the spindle () to create an eccentric core and preload the actuator (). Alternatively, the preload can be mechanically created by a set of bearings () disposed within housing () of the actuator (), where the bearings () have a centerline (A) offset from the principal axis (A) of the housing ().

A method () for manufacturing a brush head (). The method includes the steps of providing a plurality of polypropylene bristle tuft retention rings (), and inserting a respective nylon bristle tuft () into each of the bristle tuft retention rings. Heat is applied to each bristle tuft proximal end () at a temperature sufficient to at least partially melt the bristle tuft proximal end and create a proximal head portion (). The platen () of the brush head is positioned in relation to the retaining rings () and proximal head portions () to define a space () in relation to the proximal head portions for injection of a thermoplastic elastomer, and the thermoplastic elastomer is injected into the space to create an elastomeric matrix () that at least partially encompasses the neck and the proximal head portions.

Brush head manufacturing methods

An oral care appliance comprises: a fluid pump assembly (); a source of liquid (); and a source of gas (), wherein the pump is in operative communication with the sources of liquid and gas to produce a series of gas-injected fluid pulses, directed to a nozzle assembly () from which the resulting pulses are directed to the teeth. The individual pulses have a pulse width in the range of 0.001-0.5 seconds, a pulse height from 0.1-10 Newtons, and a rise/fall time range of 0.5-250 ms, a repetition rate in the range of 2 Hz to 20 Hz. The gas/liquid mixture range from 40-95% volume to volume, gas to liquid.

A brush head assembly () including: a hard platen (); a plurality of bristle tufts (), each of which includes a plurality of bristle strands having a proximal end () and a free end (); and an elastomeric matrix () bonded to the hard platen, where each of the bristle tufts is bonded directly to the elastomeric matrix without a retention element. A brush head assembly () includes: a hard platen () with a plurality of bristle tuft holes (); a plurality of bristle tufts (), each of which includes a plurality of bristle strands having a proximal end () and a free end (), where each of the plurality of bristle tufts are inserted into a respective one of the bristle tuft holes; and an elastomeric matrix () that at least partially encompasses the hard platen and the proximal end of the bristle tufts.

Brush head assembly and methods of manufacture

An oral care appliance comprises an gas-liquid cleaning assembly which comprises a fluid pump assembly (); a source of liquid (); and a source of gas(). The pump is in operative communication with the sources of liquid and gas to produce a series of gas-injected fluid pulses, directed to a nozzle assembly () from which the resulting pulses are directed to the teeth by a user. The individual pulses have a pulse width within the range of 0.001-0.5 seconds, a pulse height from 0.1-10 Newtons, a rise/fall time range of 0.5-250 ms, a repetition rate in the range of 2 Hz to 20 Hz. The gas/liquid mixture range from 40-95% volume to volume, gas to liquid. The appliance also includes a mechanical teeth cleaning assembly, in combination with the gas-liquid assembly. The mechanical assembly includes a drive system () and a brush assembly in operative contact with the drive system, the brush assembly having a set of bristles () at the distal end thereof, wherein in operation, the nozzle assembly is positioned within the brush assembly.

Oral care appliance using pulsed fluid flow and mechanical action

An oral care appliance using a jet-type fluid flow And mechanical action An oral care appliance comprises: a gas-liquid cleaning assembly which includes a fluid flow pump assembly (); a source of liquid (); and a source of gas (). The pump assembly is in operative communication with the sources of fluid and gas to produce a jet pattern of gas-injected fluid slugs, directed to a nozzle assembly () from which the resulting slugs are directed to the teeth, wherein the individual fluid slugs in the jet flow have a volume in the range of 0.05-0.5 ml per orifice, a diameter in the range of 0.1-2 mm and a repetition rate within the range of 2 Hz to 20 Hz. The appliance further includes a mechanical teeth cleaning assembly, in combination with the gas-liquid assembly, which includes a drive system () and a brush assembly in operative contact with the drive system, the brush assembly having a set of bristles () at the distal end thereof, wherein in operation, the nozzle assembly is positioned within the brush assembly.

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Kenmore, WA, United States of America

Gregory Russ Goddard